Trick or Treat
by Jestress
Summary: Halloween night on Maplewood Drive! Is the new guy in town a vampire or a KGB assassin?
1. A New Mission

**Disclaimer:** Jestress does not own Scarecrow and Mrs. King or any of its characters. She just comes out of her dusty, spooky den to play with them on Halloween. No one has offered her money for doing it, but it would probably take a considerable bribe to get her to stop.

**Explanation:** It's Halloween again, and Jestress couldn't let this holiday pass without another SMK story. :D

Bonus points if you recognize Victor's last name!

**Trick or Treat**

By Jestress

**Chapter 1: A New Mission**

When Amanda entered the closet in the Georgetown foyer, she didn't know what to expect. Well, actually, she knew some of what to expect. She was among the privileged few in the Washington area who knew that the closet was actually an elevator that would take her to the lower levels of one of the most top secret organizations in the country, but that was nothing new. That had been a part of her life ever since she'd met the man who was now her partner, Lee Stetson, and joined the Agency.

No, what was concerning her was that Mrs. Marsten, the woman who guarded the entrance to the Agency, had told her that Billy Melrose wanted to see her in his office and that Lee was already with him. That meant that something big was happening. Most likely, a new assignment for the two of them.

But, Billy hadn't waited to speak to both of them at once. That meant that he thought one or both of them would need convincing to take the assignment. Had he called Lee into his office first to convince him to take the assignment, or was he talking to Lee first in the hopes that he would convince her to do whatever it was he wanted them to do?

Through the window of Billy's office, Amanda could see Lee and Billy talking. Lee was seated in one of the comfy chairs in front of Billy's desk, and he was shaking his head about something. Amanda knocked politely before opening the office door.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Amanda asked, poking her head around the door to Billy's office.

"Yes, Amanda, come in." Billy gave her a kind smile.

Lee smiled at her also, but his smile seemed a little uncomfortable and Amanda could see the muscle in his jaw twitching. That didn't bode well for their next assignment. Amanda took the chair next to Lee and waited for Billy to tell them what this meeting was about.

"I was just telling Lee that we believe that we've pinpointed the location a top KGB assassin, Victor Orlok. We've been after him for several years, and we've received intelligence that says he's in this country, planning another assassination."

"So you think that we might have a chance to apprehend him now?" Amanda asked.

Billy nodded. "More specifically, I think that you and Lee might have a chance to apprehend him."

Amanda glanced at Lee. He still had that uncomfortable look. There was still something that Billy hadn't said yet.

"You see, you're in a unique position to help with this mission, Amanda," Billy said, folding his hands and leaning forward.

"What do you mean?" Amanda asked.

"We believe that Victor Orlok is currently staying at a KGB safe house in the Washington area. More specifically, in Arlington."

"In Arlington, sir?"

Lee interrupted. "Amanda, the safe house is in your neighborhood."

Amanda thought that she must have misheard him. "The safe house is where?"

"It's in your neighborhood."

"There's a Russian safe house with a KGB assassin _in my neighborhood_, sir?"

"I'm afraid so," Billy said. "At least, information that one of our operatives recently obtained indicates that is the location of the safe house where Victor is hiding."

Amanda sighed. Life had been much simpler before she'd joined the Agency. Duller, but simpler. The most she'd had to worry about was PTA meetings and whether or not the boys had done their homework. There hadn't been any Russian safe houses in her neighborhood back then.

Although, that might not be true. It was possible that this safe house had been there all along, and she just hadn't known about it before. Probably, life had only seemed simpler because she hadn't realized just how complicated it really was.

"The address is 4242 Maplewood Drive," Lee said helpfully.

"4242," Amanda said. "That would be . . . _Bob Smith's house_?"

"Bob Smith?" asked Lee.

Amanda shrugged. "He moved in about three years ago. I don't know much about him. He's pretty quiet and keeps to himself most of the time. Mother says that he told her he was an accountant. Sometimes, he gets visitors, and I think he has a couple of roommates living with him, but I don't know much about them, either. We hardly ever see them. I'm not even quite sure when they moved in. You think that one of them could be Victor Orlok?"

"I'm afraid so," Billy said. "At least, that's what he told Francine."

"_Francine_?"

"Francine is the operative who gave us the information," Lee said, rolling his eyes. "Apparently, Victor tried to pick her up in a bar recently."

"You're kidding!"

"Victor's one weakness is that he's always had a thing for the ladies," Lee explained. "He seeks out women wherever he goes and sometimes tells them more than he should."

"He doesn't sound like much of an assassin if he can't keep a secret," Amanda said skeptically.

"Don't underestimate him, Amanda," Lee warned. "He's deadly. We know that he's carried out at least ten flawless assassinations in the past fifteen years. The only reason we've even gotten close to him before is that he can't help but brag about it to his girlfriends."

Amanda tried to picture the kind of woman who would be impressed by that and failed.

"All he told Francine was that his name was Victor and that he was staying with a friend in Arlington, but Francine recognized him from the photos we have here at the Agency," Billy said. "After she turned down his advances, he left the bar and took a cab back to where he was staying. Francine learned the address from the taxi company. But, before we can act, we have to have definite proof, which is where you come in. If you and Lee are successful, that safe house and Victor won't be there for long."

Amanda looked at Lee. He gave her a little smile, but not much of one. Apparently, Billy hadn't gotten to the part that was making him really unhappy yet.

"What's the plan?" Amanda asked.

Billy folded his hands and leaned forward. "While you're taking your boys trick-or-treating tonight, we'd like you to visit this house—"

"Oh, sorry, sir, but I can't!"

Lee winced. This must have been the part that he knew she wasn't going to like.

Billy calmly said, "I know that the idea of taking your boys to this house is worrying, but I promise you there's no danger—"

"That's not it, sir," Amanda said. Well, it was partly it. As Billy had guessed, the last place she would want to take the boys on Halloween was to a Russian safe house that might be harboring an assassin. But, there was another reason why she couldn't do it. "The boys aren't going trick-or-treating this year. They've both decided that they're too old for it. Instead, they're having some friends over to watch horror movies."

"Oh," Billy said. "I hadn't realized that they'd reached that age yet. In that case, we'll have to use our alternate plan.

Amanda glanced at Lee. Now, he looked _really_ unhappy. Not just unhappy, but also angry.

"What's the alternate plan, sir?"

"You'll have to go to the house by yourself."

"Billy . . ." Lee said, a note of warning in his voice.

"You see," Billy said to Amanda, ignoring Lee, "we want you to plant a listening device so that we can listen in on what's happening in the house. It would let us not only know for certain that Victor is in the house but also, hopefully, the details of his mission. Our original plan had been for you to slip it into the candy bowl while trick-or-treating with your sons, but since that's not going to work, we'll have to use another method for introducing the bug to the house."

"Billy . . ."

"The candy bowl idea probably wouldn't have worked anyway," Amanda said, also ignoring Lee for the moment. "They'd have found it soon enough when they started to run low on candy, or one of the trick-or-treaters might take it."

"Billy . . ."

"We were planning to disguise it as a piece of candy, but the kind that the children wouldn't want to take."

"Billy . . ."

"You mean like that really hard kind of taffy that gets stuck in your teeth, Gobbie Gummies? My boys hate that stuff."

"Amanda!"

"What?" Amanda turned her attention to Lee.

"You won't be able to just slip the bug into the candy bowl and leave, like you would if you were trick-or-treating with your boys. An adult alone wouldn't have any need to handle the candy bowl. That means you'll have to get them to let you into the house."

Amanda turned back to Billy. "What excuse would I have for going to the house? Borrowing a cup of sugar? I guess I could say that I've run out of Halloween candy and ask to borrow some from them."

"Whatever excuse you use, it would have to be something that would make it impossible for them to refuse to let you into the house," Billy said. "If you ask to borrow something, they could just bring it to the door and send you on your way. I had thought that perhaps you could say that your phone isn't working and that you need to borrow theirs to call the phone company."

"That could work," Amanda said.

"I don't like the idea of sending Amanda into that house by herself," Lee said, finally getting to the point of what was bothering him.

"Couldn't Lee come with me?" Amanda asked. "There's no reason why two of us couldn't ask to use the phone."

"I'm afraid he can't," Billy said. "Lee and Victor have met before. If he's in that house, he will recognize Lee and try to kill him. On the other hand, you live in that neighborhood. They've probably seen you around and have no reason to suspect you."

"I could go in disguise," Lee said.

Billy shook his head. "Not this time, Scarecrow. If they recognize you, you would both be in danger, and Amanda's cover would be blown."

"But, if they suspect her, Billy . . ."

"They won't."

"But Victor is a killer! Amanda shouldn't go in there without backup."

"You'll be nearby, listening in on everything. If Amanda gets into trouble, you'll be on hand to help her, along with a team of other agents."

From the look on Lee's face, he wasn't very reassured.

"Are you up for this, Amanda?" Billy asked.

She glanced at Lee. It was obvious that he wanted her to say that she wasn't, but having worked for the Agency for three years, Amanda considered herself a professional. She didn't want to refuse one of Billy's missions.

"I'm a little concerned about my family," Amanda said carefully.

"Don't worry," Billy said. "They won't suspect that you're working for us, and there will be plenty of agents on hand to deal with the Russians. After we've obtained as much information as possible through the bug, we'll send in Lee's team to apprehend the KGB agents and dismantle the safe house. No one has to know that you were ever involved."

"My mother is going out to a Halloween party, but the boys are having some friends over to watch horror movies on Halloween night, and it may be awkward if I slip out on them."

"You could tell them that you're running out to get more candy," Billy suggested. "This errand shouldn't take too long."

With all of her concerns addressed, Amanda didn't have any other option but to accept the mission. It wouldn't have bothered her so much if Lee didn't seem so uneasy about it.

"Good luck to you," Billy said to both Lee and Amanda. "We've almost captured Victor Orlok twice before, but somehow, he's always managed to get away. Hopefully, the third time will be the charm."

After they returned to the Q-Bureau, Amanda asked him, "Is there something else about this mission that you and Billy aren't telling me? You seem awfully nervous about it."

"As Billy said, I've met Victor before," Lee said. "He's a rough character, and, well, he has a reputation when it comes to women."

Amanda nodded. "That's what you and Billy said earlier."

Lee ran an agitated hand through his hair. "Billy knows as well as I do that he'd be more likely to allow a strange woman into the house than a strange man," Lee said. "In fact, he might be very welcoming."

"I see."

"But no matter how charming he might seem, remember that you will be in constant danger."

"I'll be alright," Amanda said with more confidence than she really felt. "Besides, you'll be nearby."

"I'd feel better if I could go in with you, but that's just not possible," Lee said gently, perching on the edge of his desk and gazing into her eyes.

"I'll be careful."

"I want you to be on your guard on this mission. Get in, plant the bug, and get out quickly."

"I will."


	2. Step Into My Parlor

**Chapter 2: Step Into My Parlor**

On Halloween night, Amanda was nervous about leaving the boys and their friends alone, even for just a few minutes, especially with KGB agents and a possible assassin in the neighborhood. Of course, she was the one going to face down the Russians. The boys would be perfectly safe in the house, watching their monster movies.

Somehow, tonight's mission seemed scarier for taking place on Halloween. Amanda wasn't sure why. There was nothing even remotely supernatural about the KGB. Maybe it was just her imagination acting up. All the costumed kids and spooky decorations were getting to her.

She looked in on the little group gathered in the family room. The boys were all happily eating popcorn and laughing at the monsters on the screen. They didn't seem to be spooked by the movies at all. Philip flicked a piece of popcorn at his friend Tommy, and Tommy flicked one back at him.

Before the boys could start a food fight, Amanda said, "No throwing popcorn, boys. Remember, if you make a mess, you'll have to clean it up."

"Okay," Philip said, turning back to the movie.

Taking a deep breath, Amanda added, "I have to step out for a minute. We're running low on candy, and I have to get some more."

"Already?" Jamie asked, frowning.

"I must not have picked up as much as I thought," Amanda said quickly. "There's still some in the candy bowl, so I'd appreciate it if you boys would listen for the door and pass out candy while I'm gone."

"Sure, mom," Philip said.

"I won't be gone long, so you fellas behave yourselves."

"Okay," the boys said. Their eyes were still glued to the tv.

"I don't want to come back and find out that you slipped out to t.p. someone's yard or something."

"We wouldn't do that, Mom!" Jamie protested.

"No, I didn't think so," Amanda said. "I just had to make sure." She knew her boys were pretty good, but even good kids could get up to pranks on Halloween.

"If you need any help before I get back, you can always ask Buck."

Buck liked the boys and sometimes came over to help them with little projects. He was rather like a kid himself. He had come over earlier in the day to show off the costume he was planning to wear while handing out candy and was disappointed that the boys weren't going to be trick-or-treating. Still, he was, in theory, an adult. If the boys really needed help, he could probably help them. Probably. Amanda certainly hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Amanda quietly slipped out of the house. Hopefully, she would be back soon to make sure that the boys didn't pig out too much on junk food.

The listening device Lee had given her was inside her purse.

Knowing that he was already listening on the other end, Amanda said softly, "I'm on my way."

The neighborhood was livelier than usual with costumed trick-or-treaters roaming from house to house. A couple of neighbors waved to Amanda from across the street, and Mrs. Brody said "Happy Halloween" as she passed by with her three children.

As she headed for the Russian safe house, Amanda worried that someone would ask her what she was doing out on Halloween night without her children.

"I'm a little old to be trick-or-treating," Amanda thought wryly.

But, everyone was so busy looking after young children or admiring Halloween decorations that no one gave her a second look.

Amanda paused on the sidewalk in front of 4242 Maplewood Drive. Some children were coming away from the door.

"I can't believe that all they're giving out is Gobbie Gummies!" a little witch grumbled as she passed Amanda.

"That's all they handed out last year, too!" the pirate with her complained. "That's the last year we go to this house!"

Next year, there would probably be new neighbors who would hand out better candy, Amanda thought, although she couldn't say so.

The house looked pretty much like any other house on the block, although there were no jack-o-lanterns or other decorations, nothing that indicated they were celebrating Halloween.

Summoning up her courage, Amanda went up and knocked on the door.

The man she knew as Bob Smith answered, holding a bowl of candy. He was surprised to see Amanda.

"Hi!" Amanda said cheerfully. "I live just down the street, and I was wondering if you could help me."

"Yes?" Bob said, looking her up and down suspiciously.

"My phone isn't working, and I was wondering if I could borrow yours to call the phone company." Her first lie of the evening.

"I'm sorry, but you cannot come in," Bob said, starting to close the door.

"Please?" Amanda asked plaintively. "I've already tried at three other houses. One house was having a party, and it was so noisy, I couldn't even get them to hear me, and two others said that their phones weren't working either." Her second lie of the evening.

"Our phone isn't working, either," Bob also lied, trying to close the door on Amanda once again.

"Yes, it is," another voice inside the house said. Behind Bob, another man, much more handsome, stepped into view. "Let her in."

"We don't want visitors," Bob said, a note of warning in his voice.

"It would not hurt to let her into the house for a few minutes to use the telephone," the more handsome man said. Bob spoke with an American accent, but the handsome man did not.

Bob reluctantly stepped aside to let Amanda into the house.

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Lee watched from the Agency van as Amanda left her house and made her way over to 4242 Maplewood Drive. He was still angry at Billy for insisting that Amanda go to that house alone with a dangerous killer there. He understood his reasons, but he didn't have to like them.

It rankled, too, that Billy apparently lacked faith in his disguise abilities. Emily had drummed the fine arts of disguise and play-acting into his head not long after he became an agent, and he was very good at them, if he did say so himself. In fact, he had come on the mission in disguise just in case Amanda needed him to come rescue her.

"Dressing up again this year, Scarecrow?" Fred Fielder said with a cheeky smile.

Lee refused to dignify that with a response. Sending Fielder on this mission was something else that Lee had trouble forgiving Billy for. The main reason for his presence was that he was unmarried and had no children. Single guys with no families tended to get assigned to missions that took place on holidays.

Billy kept hinting to Lee that if he got married and settled down with a family, he could get more holidays off, but Lee tried not to dignify that with a response, either. It was probably just as well. The last thing Lee wanted was to leave Amanda at the mercy of guys like Fielder. Although, the last time Billy had said it, Lee couldn't help but think that if he did get married and not have to work on holidays, his wife would also spend the holidays at home with him . . .

He smiled a little when Amanda softly told him through the listening device that she was on her way. He had no way of answering her, but he liked it that she thought of him.

Then, he tensed when he heard Victor's voice welcoming Amanda into the house. He'd heard that voice before while he was on a mission in Europe a few years ago, and he hadn't forgotten it. If that man did anything to hurt Amanda, this would be the last Halloween he'd ever see.


	3. The Vampire of Maplewood Drive

**Chapter 3: The Vampire of Maplewood Drive**

The vampire beckoned toward the beautiful young woman, welcoming her into his mansion.

"I have prepared a feast of which I hope you will partake," he said in deep, ominous tones.

Tommy had gained control of one of the large bowls of popcorn and was mechanically popping kernels into his mouth while he stared at the tv screen.

The vampire's spell had overtaken the young woman's mind. In a trance, she followed him into the dining room. In the flickering candlelight, the vampire stared deeply into her eyes and gently brushed the hair away from her neck.

As the vampire leaned in to sink his teeth into the girl's neck, Philip's friend Mark said, "Bet that's what you were doing to Linda Montez at the school dance."

He started making kissy noises and ducked when Philip tried to swat him on the head.

"Yeah, Philip's a vampire, and he wants to suck everyone's blood!" Andy said, grabbing for his own throat. "Cover your necks!"

"Not everyone's blood, just all the girls," Mark said with a grin.

"Nah, just Linda's," Jamie said, rolling his eyes.

"Cut it out, guys!" Philip snapped.

"Yeah, I want to hear the show!" Tommy said. His eyes were glued to the tv, and he was now shoveling popcorn into his mouth at furious rate.

Most of the boys focused on the movie, everyone except for Philip. He was getting bored and restless. As far as he was concerned, the movie was cheesy and not at all scary. Halloween should be a night of adventure and mystery, but the best that this movie could offer was a vampire with wooden acting and obviously plastic fangs.

The scene had changed, and the hero was now conferring with the famous vampire hunter who had come to town.

"So the mysterious man who recently rented Ruthven Hall is really a vampire?" the hero asked in disbelief.

"Come on!" Philip said, gesturing to the screen. "It's been so obvious this entire time! The guy never goes out during the day, there are no mirrors in his house, and he refuses to go anywhere near crosses."

"He's also deathly pale, doesn't eat normal food, and keeping staring at the necks of people he talks to," Mark pointed out.

"Exactly!" Philip said. "Anyone with half a brain could read the signs!"

"I don't know," Jamie said. "There are lots of weird people in the world. He could just be a real wacko."

"Like that guy who lives next door to you?" Mark said, laughing. He had met Buck earlier when he was showing off his costume. "That guy's crazy!"

"What do you mean?" Andy asked, having missed it.

Before Mark could explain, Jamie said, "I was thinking more like the guy who moved in down the street."

"What guy?" Andy asked.

"He didn't move in," Philip said. "He's just staying with friends in a house down the street. Jamie and I bumped into him when we came back late from playing basketball the other day."

"Yeah, it was getting dark, and we were worried that mom would be mad as us for being out so late, and this weird guy just stops to talk to us," Jamie said.

"He wanted to know if there were any good restaurants in the area because he just got here," Philip explained reasonably. "I just told him to head up to Carver Street because that's where most of the eating places are around here."

"You shouldn't have talked to him at all," Jamie said. "The guy was creepy, and anyway, if he wanted to go out to eat, why didn't he just ask the friends he's been staying with?"

"I don't know," Philip said with a shrug. "I just told him, and we hurried on home. But, you're right, he was kind of creepy."

"What do you mean?" Andy asked.

"Well, he was pretty pale, and he spoke with an odd accent," Jamie said.

"It was a Russian accent," Philip said. "Don't you ever watch spy movies?"

"You can't know for sure!" Jamie said. "You've never met a Russian. It could have been an Eastern European accent, like the guy playing the vampire here. He sounded kind of like that."

They all listened quietly to the movie for a few minutes while the vampire spoke, trying to charm the hero's girlfriend and convince her to come to his house for a "dinner party."

"Yeah, I guess it could have been kind of like that," Philip admitted. "We didn't talk to him for very long."

"Maybe he was a vampire," Andy said, joking. "Did he stare at your neck while he talked?"

"No, but he was staring at Jamie's," Philip said, leering at his brother. "I vant to suck your blooooood!"

"Cut it out!" Jamie said.

"Guys! I'm trying to hear the movie!" Tommy complained. He had almost finished the bowl of popcorn by himself.

But, Philip was getting an idea.

"You know, what if the guy down the street really is a vampire?" Philip suggested. "Maybe we should go and find out."

"Get real," Jamie said. "There's no such thing as vampires."

But Mark and Andy were interested in the idea.

"How are you going to find out if he's a vampire?" Andy asked.

"The same way as the guys in the movie," Philip said. "We know that he only comes out at night because we've never seen him earlier in the day. Now, we find out how he reacts to crosses and mirrors."

"Just because we haven't seen him during the day doesn't mean that he never goes out during the day," Jamie pointed out. "Maybe he goes places while we're at school. And if you think you're going to take Mom's gold cross necklace and wave in the guy's face, think again. Mom will kill you before the vampire does."

"So you admit that he might be a vampire!" Philip challenged.

"No!" Jamie said.

"Then, you're not afraid of coming with us to find out."

"I just think it's stupid."

"If it's stupid, then you shouldn't be afraid to do it," Mark said, getting into the spirit of the argument.

Jamie thought that the whole argument was stupid but knew that he couldn't say so without looking like a coward in front of his brother and their friends.

"If the guy's a vampire, he's probably out preying on innocent trick-or-treaters tonight, and he won't even be at the house when you get there," Jamie said, casually taking one of his grandmother's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from the plate and turning his attention back to the movie.

"We won't know until we go to the house and find out," Philip said reasonably. "We're going to need some costumes, er, disguises."

He jumped up out of his seat and headed upstairs. Mark and Andy followed him. Tommy ignored them and finished the popcorn, still watching the movie. Jamie sighed and slouched on the couch.

Once his brother got an idea, nothing would stop him from carrying it out and dragging Jamie and all their friends along with him. He only hoped that Philip wasn't stealing their mother's necklace, or they'd be facing worse than imaginary vampires before the night was over.

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"Please excuse my friend's rudeness. My name is Victor." The handsome man extended his hand to Amanda.

"I'm Amanda," Amanda said, shaking his hand. She saw no reason not to use her real name. After all, this was her neighborhood, and they might have heard her name already.

"Amanda is a beautiful name," Victor said, taking her by arm and leading her through the foyer. "Please, make yourself at home."

"So, where is the phone?" Amanda asked. She was eager to get her mission over with and get out of there.

"Why don't you come have a drink with me first?"

"Oh, well, I really shouldn't. My boys have some friends over, and as soon as I've made my call, I should get back to them."

"I have an excellent red wine that I've been eager to share with someone. Perhaps just one drink?" Victor flashed her a charming smile.

Amanda suppressed the urge to sigh. "Why don't you pour me a glass while I make my call?"

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"Alright, guys!" Philip said, bounding back into the living room. "We're just about set!"

Jamie cringed. He had just finished giving some candy to the trick-or-treaters. Tommy was devouring his fourth pumpkin cookie, his eyes still glued to the screen as the hero tried to convince the heroine that their new neighbor was a vampire. He was ignoring Philip, and Jamie wished that he could do the same.

"Here, take these," Philip said, holding out some objects for Jamie to take.

In one hand, he held a pillow case. In the other, he had a terrycloth bathrobe and a sort of shiny lump of twisted cloth.

"What's all that for?" Jamie asked.

"It's your disguise," Philip said with a grin. "We have to look like trick-or-treaters." He was wearing their mother's trench coat (which was too big for him) and an old fedora that belonged to their dad.

Mark laughed. He had on a Hawaiian shirt of Philip's and a pith helmet that Jamie had worn for his explorer costume a couple of Halloweens ago. There was a pair of binoculars around his neck. He was holding more pillowcases.

Andy's "disguise" was the only one Jamie understood. He was wearing a sheet with holes for eyes. Obviously, he hadn't cut them big enough. He was stumbling round, bumping into the furniture. Jamie recognized the sheet they'd used as an old one that his mother was going to throw away.

"You know, most ghosts aren't covered with tiny flowers like you are," Jamie said, grinning.

"Shut up!" Andy said, bumping into the arm of the couch. The sheet slid a little on his head, and the eyeholes moved. He struggled to get them back in the right place again.

"What are you guys supposed to be?" Jamie asked Mark and Philip.

"I'm a tourist," Mark said proudly. "The binoculars are useful, too." He lifted them and tried to use them to inspect Jamie's face from three feet away.

"They would be useful if it wasn't dark outside," Jamie said. He asked Philip, "So, what are you?"

"I'm a detective," Philip said.

"A detective?" Jamie asked. Trust Philip to snag the coolest costume for himself.

Philip shrugged. "If you don't like that, then I'm a guy in a trench coat. It doesn't matter. Just put this on and come with us." He shoved the bathrobe at Jamie.

"How is grandma's bathrobe a costume?" Jamie demanded, edging away from the terrycloth bundle.

"You'll be a swami!" Philip said enthusiastically. "Just wrap grandma's scarf around your head like a turban, and you'll be set."

"Absolutely not!"

"You can't come with us if you're not wearing a costume!"

"I'm not going with you!"

"You tell him!" Tommy said, reaching for another cookie.

"Fine!" Philip said, dropping the bathrobe and scarf on the arm of the couch. "You guys stay here and be boring!"

"Hey, weren't you going to get some garlic?" Mark reminded Philip.

"I don't think we have garlic cloves, but I'm pretty sure that we've got garlic powder," Philip said.

"Where?" Andy asked, stumbling roughly in the direction of the kitchen.

"In the cabinet by the door, third shelf down," Philip said helpfully.

"Ouch!" Andy said, stubbing his toe on a chair on the way.

"You're going to attack our neighbor's visiting friend with garlic powder?" Jamie asked incredulously.

"Well, we didn't want to just use crosses."

Jamie covered his eyes with his palm. "Please tell me you didn't steal Mom's cross."

"Of course not!" Philip said.

He and Mark took their crosses out of their pillowcases. They were made of popsicle sticks tied together with string and looked more like "X"s than crosses to Jamie. It was a stark reminder of how much trouble Philip had when he was trying to get his arts and crafts patch for Junior Trailblazers, but at least they wouldn't be in trouble with their mother over it. At least, they wouldn't until they tried to throw garlic powder at their neighbor's visiting friend.

"I've got it!" Andy said, stumbling back into the room with the small jar of garlic powder in his hand.

"Last chance to come with us," Philip said to Jamie and Tommy.

"I'm staying here," Jamie said.

"Me, too!" said Tommy.

"Okay, then you guys stay here and pass out candy," Philip said. "We're off on an adventure!"

"Yeah!" Andy said. He charged toward the front door, tripping over his sheet and banging his elbow on the wall.

Jamie shook his head. Let the Three Stooges go vampire hunting! For once, he wasn't going to get roped into one of Philip's crazy stunts.


	4. Trick or Treat

**Chapter 4: Trick or Treat**

Victor led Amanda into a comfortably-furnished living room. Three other men were already sitting there. Two of them were playing chess, and the third was watching an old monster movie on tv.

"Who is this?" one of the chess players demanded. He was very thin, had fair hair, and also spoke with a Russian accent.

The man who had been watching tv looked over to see who he was talking about.

"She is one of our neighbors," Victor said pleasantly. "She is only here to use the telephone. Her telephone is not working."

The three men looked at each other nervously.

"The telephone is over there," the fair-haired chess player said, pointing to a phone on the coffee table.

"Thank you," Amanda said, trying to keep her tone as pleasant as Victor's. "I won't be long, I just need to call the telephone company and see what the problem is with my line."

"I will go get the wine I promised you," Victor said, flashing his charming smile.

Amanda smiled back, although her heart wasn't in it. She was worried about how she was going to plant the listening device without being seen. There were three KGB agents in the room, and even though they were trying to be casual about it, they were all watching her.

Victor left the room, and Amanda picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Yes?" Billy's voice answered.

"Hello, this is Amanda King. I live on Maplewood Drive in Arlington, and there's problem with my phone line."

"I'm glad you called," Billy said. He had been expecting her call. "Are you in the house now?"

"I'm calling from my neighbor's house," Amanda said.

"Good. Have you encountered any problems there?" Billy was trying to be guarded in case someone could overhear their conversation.

"Their line seems to be working well, but I'll check," Amanda said. Holding the receiver away from her face, Amanda asked the chess players, "Excuse me, but have you gentlemen had any difficulties with your phone line recently?"

"No," the fair-haired chess player said shortly.

His chess partner, a large bearded man, just shook his head. The man watching tv just ignored them.

"They say they haven't," Amanda said.

Understanding that Amanda wasn't alone, Billy asked, "Do you need any help taking care of the problem?"

Amanda looked at the chess players. The fair-haired one was still watching her suspiciously. She said, "Well, there's been a lot of interference on the line."

"We could send someone to help you clear up the interference," Billy offered.

Amanda hesitated. If she asked for help, Lee would insist on coming himself, but she wasn't sure that was a good idea. Even though he claimed that he could disguise himself well enough for Victor not to recognize him, she didn't want him to take the risk if it wasn't necessary.

Of course, she knew that Lee was already hearing this conversation through the listening device. He could be on his way over to help her right now. She hoped that he would hold back for awhile and give her a chance to finish this on her own.

"I could try again," Amanda said to Billy. "Thank you for your help. If I have any further problems, I'll call you back."

She hung up just as Victor came back into the room.

"Did you make your call?" he asked, sitting down next to her on the couch and handing her a glass of wine.

"Yes," Amanda said. "They already have someone working on the problem, and they said that I should try my phone again soon and see if it's working properly."

"Excellent," Victor said. "Why don't you stay here while you're waiting?"

"It is really nice of you," Amanda said. "Of course, I can't stay long because I left my boys and their friends at the house. I can't leave them alone for too long."

"Your husband isn't with them?" Victor asked with raised eyebrows.

"We're divorced," Amanda said.

"What a shame," Victor said. His voice was dripping with sincerity, but his wolf-like smile and the way he edged closer to her on the couch said otherwise.

Amanda smiled nervously. With him sitting there, leering at her, how was she going to plant the listening device?

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"Trick or treat!"

Philip, Mark, and Andy held out pillowcases.

"Here you go," the neighbor said tersely, dropping a small piece of candy in each bag before going back inside and shutting the door.

"Gobbie Gummies!" Mark said in disgust when he examined their treats.

"If they're not evil vampires, they're at least evil for giving out this stuff," Andy said.

"Well, was the guy at the door the guy you saw before?" Mark asked Philip. "He seemed pretty normal to me."

Philip shook his head. "That's the guy who owns the house. His visiting friend is taller and has darker hair."

"So what do you want to do now?" Andy asked.

"Let's not give up yet," Philip said. "Come around the side of the house, and we'll peek through the windows."

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Lee was seething as he listened to Victor trying to cozy up to Amanda. They'd calculated that Victor would be interested in her enough to let her into the house, but hearing him try to charm her turned his stomach. Lee wished that she'd just plant the stupid bug and leave. But he could tell from what he was hearing that Amanda hadn't been alone for even a moment to do so. Maybe he should go over there and provide a distraction.

He looked out the window of the van, toward the house, debating what to do, when he saw something that momentarily distracted him from his worries. Three small figures in homemade costumes came down the street and approached 4242 Maplewood Drive. With so many costumed children, he wouldn't have paid them any attention except that they seemed to have come from the direction of Amanda's house and one of them appeared to be wearing a coat that looked like Amanda's.

"Fred, let me borrow your binoculars," Lee said.

It was dark, but he managed to get a look at the boys as they passed under a streetlight.

The boy in the trench coat was definitely Philip. Lee wasn't sure who the boy in the pith helmet was. The one in the ghost costume might be Jamie.

"I thought Amanda's kids weren't going trick-or-treating this year," Lee mused.

"What are you talking about?" Fred Fielder asked.

Lee didn't answer right away. Every nerve in his body was on edge when he saw the children go up to 4242 and knock on the door.

"What are they doing there?" Lee wondered. "Do they know Amanda's there?"

The boys received their candy, and the door of the house closed. For a few minutes, the kids stood in a huddle, having some kind of conference. Instead of going home or moving on to the next house, they circled around the side of the house and disappeared from view.

Lee shoved the binoculars back into Fielder's hands and said, "Wait here! I'll be back."

"What the—! Scarecrow, wait!" Fielder called.

But, Lee was already out of the van and moving fast. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew it meant trouble.


	5. Monsters Are Loose on Maplewood Drive

**Chapter 5: The Monsters Are Loose on Maplewood Drive**

The vampire movie had ended. The final scene where the vampire turned to ashes in the morning sun and blew away was pretty spectacular, but the kiss between the hero and heroine earned a bunch of "Eww!"s from Tommy and Jamie.

Three more groups of trick-or-treaters had stopped by since Philip and the others had left, and Jamie was starting to wonder how things were going. Tommy started watching a mummy movie that had come on tv, but Jamie couldn't keep his mind on it. He was starting to wonder if Philip had gotten in trouble at the neighbor's house.

"Hey, Tommy," Jamie said. "You think we should go check on what the others are doing?"

Tommy looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you kidding? You know that if we show up there, we'll probably just get in trouble for spying on the neighbors. I'm surprised that the neighbors haven't sent them home already."

"That's what I mean," Jamie said. "Maybe they're in serious trouble and need help."

"Probably not," Tommy said, turning his attention back to the movie. "They probably decided to just forget the vampire idea and go trick-or-treating instead."

Jamie had to admit that sounded likely. If that was the case, it kind of annoyed him that the others didn't think to include him and Tommy, even though they had plenty of treats at their fingertips already.

But, what if Philip and the others were in trouble? Jamie felt like he should at least go outside and look around to make sure.

If they saw him looking around for them, though, they'd probably tease him about changing his mind about the vampire hunt. Maybe he should take a hint from Philip and go out in disguise.

There was no way that he was going to put on his grandmother's bathrobe. Jamie was sure that he could come up with a much better costume if he thought about it. Maybe even a better costume than Philip's. Jamie stared at the tv screen while he thought. He didn't want to take a lot of time putting a costume together.

"I have an idea!" Jamie said, jumping up. "Tommy, give me a hand!"

Confused, Tommy took another look at the tv and then followed Jamie upstairs

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Amanda put the wineglass to her lips, but she wasn't really drinking. She was thinking.

The fruit bowl. Amanda's eyes fixed on the fruit bowl next to the telephone. It would be the perfect place for the listening device, if she could just get a moment when she wasn't being watched. Victor was being annoyingly attentive.

"Tell me about yourself," Victor said, trying to get friendly with Amanda.

"Well, as I said, I'm divorced, and I have two boys," Amanda said. She was looking around the room for something she could use to distract Victor.

"Do you work?" Victor asked.

"Yes, part time," Amanda said. "My mother lives with me and helps look after the boys while I'm at work. I also keep myself busy with PTA and the boys' scouting activities."

"It sounds like you have a busy life," Victor said.

"Oh, yes, but I like to keep busy."

"You should take some time to relax now and then," Victor said, slowly putting his arm around Amanda's shoulders.

"Oh!" Amanda suddenly stood up. "Is that Revenge of the Mummified People?"

Victor looked surprised. Then, he looked at the tv set Amanda was pointing to.

"I don't know."

"I think it is!" Amanda said enthusiastically. "I saw it last Halloween. Let's watch!"

Amanda set her glass down on the coffee table and went to stand near the tv.

With a sigh, Victor, still holding his wineglass, went to stand near Amanda.

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"Can you see anything?" Andy asked Philip.

He was still struggling to see through the eyeholes of his ghost costume. The sheet kept slipping around, and one of the eyeholes got caught on the end of his nose. There were sounds of some furious rustling as he tried to get the eyeholes back over his eyes again.

"Quiet!" Philip hissed.

Philip and Mark peered over the top of the bushes and into the lighted window of the living room. Philip grinned. The room was brightly lit, and it was dark outside. The people inside probably couldn't see them, just their own reflections.

His grin vanished abruptly when Mark said, "Hey, Philip, isn't that your mom?"

It was his mom. She was standing there, watching tv with some guys Philip had never seen before. One of them was standing awfully close to her. It was the creepy guy he and Jamie had met. He was holding a glass with something red in it.

Andy finally got his eyeholes the right way around. "Hey, yeah! It is your mom. What's she doing there?"

"I don't know," Philip said worriedly. "She said that she was going to get more candy."

"Maybe she's under the spell of the vampire," Andy said ominously.

The tall, creepy guy was staring at Amanda . . . or maybe at her neck. As the horrified boys watched, the creepy guy reached out for Amanda. He touched her hair. He seemed to be pulling it away from her neck . . .

"He's going to suck her blood!" Andy cried.

Philip couldn't really believe that, but the creep might be going to kiss her. For a moment, the horrified boy couldn't decide which would be worse.

"What are you boys doing there?" a deep voice behind them demanded.

All three boys screamed.

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Amanda jumped, bumping Victor's arm. Red wine spilled over the two of them.

"I'm sorry!" Amanda said. But, she was also relieved. She had felt his fingers in her hair, his warm breath as he had leaned in to steal a kiss.

"What was that sound?" Victor demanded.

"It wasn't from the movie?" the bearded chess player asked.

"It sounded like it was from outside," the fair-haired chess player said. "Probably just children."

"Would you mind if I used your bathroom?" Amanda asked Victor. "I'd like to clean up a little."

"Of course," Victor said. "My apologies. It's right down the hall."

Bob Smith showed her the way. As she entered the bathroom, she saw him standing at the end of the hall, watching her. It seemed that they weren't going to allow her any time to walk around the house without being watched.

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"Well? Are you boys playing Halloween pranks?" the policeman asked, staring down Philip, Mark, and Andy. He was a tall man with a mustache.

Mark stared back silently.

Philip was trying desperately to think of some excuse for spying at his neighbor's window.

Andy blurted out, "We have to save Philip's mother from the vampire!"

"What?" the policeman demanded.

"Philip's mom is in there," Mark said, pointing to the window.

"And the vampire is about to suck her blood!" Andy cried, waving his hands under the sheet. His eyeholes slid out of position again.

Philip wished both of them would just shut up. If his mom was seeing this guy romantically, it was none of their business.

The policeman peered in the window himself. Amanda was looking down at something red on her shirt, and Mr. Smith was leading her out of the room.

"I think I'd better speak to your mother about this," the policeman said, quickly ushering the boys around to the front of the house.

Andy, still struggling with his costume, almost turned the wrong way and headed out to the street, but the others grabbed him and pulled him up to the front door, behind the policeman.

The policeman pounded on the door, hard. When there was no immediate answer, he pounded again.

Then, he looked over at the boys. He seemed surprised to notice that the boys were still standing there, as if he had almost forgotten about them. Philip thought that was kind of strange.

The policeman collected himself. "You boys don't live here, do you?"

"No," Philip said.

"Maybe you should—"

The door opened, and he didn't get to finish the thought. Mr. Smith stood there with his bowl of Gobbie Gummies, looking surprised to see the policeman.

"Arlington Police," the policeman said, quickly flashing a badge at him. "I found these boys lurking around your house, possibly about to play a prank. Apparently, the mother of one of them is here. I would like to speak to her."

"I do not know these boys," Mr. Smith said, barely giving them a glance. "Perhaps you ought to take them home."

He started to shut the door, but the policeman reached out and blocked him.

"I need to speak to the lady now," the policeman said. "Bring her to the door."

Philip's eyes widened at the policeman's tone. He sounded angry, dangerous. Surely, they couldn't be in that much trouble! All they had in their pillowcases was popsicle-stick crosses, a jar of garlic powder, and a few pieces of awful candy. They weren't even carrying any toilet paper!

"The lady is indisposed," Mr. Smith said.

The policeman pushed past him and barged into the house. Mr. Smith just gaped at him.

Recovering himself, he said, "Wait! You can't just—"

Philip, following the policeman's example, elbowed his way past Mr. Smith and entered the house himself. Mark and Andy followed Philip. Andy stumbled into Mr. Smith on the way, knocking the candy bowl out of his hands. Gobbie Gummies spilled all over the floor. Philip didn't even notice.

If the policeman was angry enough to force his way into the house to complain to his mother about him, Philip thought it was only right that he be there to defend himself. Although, exactly how he was going to do that was a mystery to him.

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Jamie stood in front of 4242 Maplewood Drive, unable to believe what he'd just seen. A policeman had just entered the house with his brother and his friends. Were they all in trouble? Was the policeman going to report them?

Could the creepy guy staying there really be a vampire? Maybe Philip and the others had called the police themselves.

"Get real," Jamie thought. "If they'd done that, they'd have come back to the house to call."

Jamie wasn't sure what to do. He wished his mother or grandmother was here. Really, any reliable adult would do.

"Jamie, is that you?" a voice nearby said.

A big, hulking shape towered over Jamie.

"Hi, Buck!" Jamie said.

"I thought you weren't going trick-or-treating this year."

"I'm not really," Jamie said. "I need your help."

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"You and your women!" the fair-haired chess player said to Victor as soon as Amanda was out of the room. "If you're not secretly slipping out to find them, you're inviting them in! I don't know how you've gotten this far in your profession. Doesn't discretion mean anything to you?"

Victor sniffed. "What I do with my spare time is no concern of yours. Your concern is making sure that I have everything I need for my mission."

"And we oversee your security," the bearded man said. "These women of yours are a breech of security."

"If you're concerned about security," Victor said, "then find out what that screaming was. I am sure—"

He stopped talking when he heard a commotion in the hall. There was yelling, and the sound of children's voices.

Seconds later, a policeman with dark hair and a mustache burst into the room.

"I need to speak to the lady who was here earlier," he demanded. "Where is she?"

"What is this?" the fair-haired man demanded.

"Calm yourself, Igor," Victor said. "What is the trouble, officer?"

"Igor?" a young voice said.

Three children stood at the edge of the room. The one who spoke was a boy in an over-sized coat and an old hat. Another boy next to him was wearing a tacky shirt and a pith helmet. A third child had a flowered sheet over his head, and the other two had to keep their hands on him to keep him from running into the wall.

"What's going on?" Amanda came up behind them.

"Am—," the policeman started to say, then coughed. "Ma'am, is one of these boys your son?"

"Hi, Mom," Philip said with a tiny, embarrassed smile.

"Boys?" Amanda said. "What are you doing here?"

"The boys seemed like they were about to play a prank on this house," the policeman explained. "I think that you should take them home."

Amanda stared at the policeman for a moment. Then, she said, "Yes, you're right, officer. I'll take them home—"

"Amanda? Is everything alright?"

Amanda turned and gasped. The boys screamed. The Russians gaped. The policeman wondered if he was hallucinating.

A big, hairy ape stood in the doorway next to a small mummy who appeared to be wrapped in . . . toilet paper?

The child with the sheet over his head had just gotten his eyeholes turned around so he could see through them. When he caught sight of the giant ape and the mummy, he panicked and tried to run. Tripping over his sheet, he fell onto the coffee table, knocking the telephone off and sending the bowl of fruit flying.

"Hi, Mom!" the mummy said cheerfully. "Is everything okay?"

"Jamie!" Amanda cried. Turning to Victor, she said, "I'm so sorry about this! Andy, is that you? Are you alright?"

The policeman and the Victor both tried to help the boy in the sheet back on his feet. The ape moved to help, too, but Philip and Jamie stopped him.

"Maybe we should just stand back here," Philip said.

Jamie paused, staring across the room with an look of astonishment on his face.

Amanda was down on her knees, putting the fruit back in the fruit bowl. Setting in back on the table, she apologized again for the mess.

The ape took off his mask, revealing her neighbor, Buck.

"I didn't mean to scare everyone," Buck said. "Jamie said that his brother was here with the police, and I came to see if everything was alright."

"I think it will be once we get these young men home," the policeman said brusquely.

"Yes, I think we should leave," Amanda agreed.

"Um, Mom," Jamie said worriedly, trying to get Amanda's attention.

"I think that would be a good idea," Bob Smith said firmly.

Jamie pointed at the window where his brother and their friends had looked in earlier. "But, Mom, look at the—"

"Not now, Sweetheart," Amanda said firmly.

Together, Amanda and the policeman shooed the costumed crowd out of the house, leaving the Russians completely flabbergasted.


	6. The After Party

**Chapter 6: The After Party**

Lee the Policeman and Amanda herded the costumed kids into Amanda's house. Buck followed behind, curious to hear the rest of the story.

When they all trooped into the living room, Tommy was still watching the mummy movie and eating candy. He grinned when he saw the boys come in and stopped grinning when he saw the man in the ape costume and the policeman with them.

"Thank you for coming to help, Buck," Amanda was saying, "but I think everything will be alright now. You can go home and tend to the trick-or-treaters."

"Actually, I can't," Buck said. "I ran out of candy. I was coming to borrow some from you when I saw Jamie."

"Mom said that she was running out, too," Jamie said.

"No, she's not," Tommy said helpfully. "I found two more bags in the kitchen!" He held up one of the bags he was eating out of as proof. The floor around him was littered with candy wrappers.

"Oh, I thought I'd bought more candy!" Amanda said quickly. "I must have just forgotten where I put it. It's a good thing that those men across the street didn't want to lend me any of their candy. It turns out that all they had were Gobbie Gummies anyway."

"Eww!" Tommy said.

"Actually, I kind of like those," Buck said.

"Ten hut!" snapped Lee.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"I believe that you boys have some explaining to do," Lee said seriously.

Amanda took one of the bags of candy from Tommy and handed it to Buck. "I think you'd better go," she said.

"Oh, okay," Buck said. From the curious looks he gave her and the boys, she knew he would be back tomorrow to find out the rest of the story.

When he was gone, the boys took turns telling Amanda and Lee the story of the night's events. Amanda listened with astonishment and embarrassment.

"I told you fellas to stay here this evening and to stay out of trouble while I was gone!" she said when they were done. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"We're sorry," they all mumbled, except for Tommy, who didn't think that he had anything to apologize for.

"I stayed here, Mrs. King!" Tommy said proudly.

"And snitched some of the Halloween candy, leaving a mess on the floor," Amanda said, pointing to the candy wrappers.

Tommy gave her a guilty grin.

"And I think you fellas have seen enough horror movies for now," Amanda said, turning off the tv. "You don't seriously believe in vampires, do you?"

"Of course not!" Philip insisted.

Amanda raised her eyebrows at him.

"We were just . . . making sure," Philip said lamely.

The others just looked at the ground.

"Um, Mom?" Jamie started to stay, but Lee cut him off. He decided that what the boys needed was a dose of discipline.

"Attention!" he said in his best imitation of his uncle. He strode up and down in front of them, lecturing, "I want you boys to know that, even though this is a popular time of year for pranks, you are all responsible for your actions. Hopefully, your neighbors will be understanding and will forgive you for your antics this evening. As long as there is no repeat performance, I am willing to let all of you go with a warning: from now on, listen to your mother and behave responsibly when she's away, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Philip and Jamie said.

"And those of you who are guests in this house, you should behave like good guests and be responsible for your behavior as well. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," the other boys said.

"Good. In that case, I want to see all of you clean up your mess here. I'll be back in a few minutes to check on your progress. I'm just going to have a word with Mrs. King in the next room."

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When they were out of earshot of the boys, Amanda said, "I like your Halloween costume. You look good in a mustache. I prefer your original hair color, though."

"It's one of my better disguises," Lee said. "Victor never suspected it was me. And it's practical. Very few people would refuse to disobey a policeman, especially if they're trying to maintain a low profile, and nobody questions why I'm carrying a gun."

"What made you come charging into the house like that?" Amanda asked.

"I saw the boys sneaking around the outside of the house and thought I'd better stop them. I didn't know if they knew you were there, and I was afraid that they'd either mess things up or get hurt, or maybe both. Then, I saw you with something red on your blouse, and I had to make sure you weren't hurt." Lee looked at Amanda more closely.

"It's red wine," Amanda said, pointing to the stain. "I'm alright."

"I'm glad," Lee said softly. "But, I'm sorry that you didn't get a chance to plant the listening device. I'm sure we'll find a way—"

"Actually, I did plant it," Amanda said proudly.

"You did? When?"

"When I was helping to clean up the stuff Andy knocked off the coffee table. I planted it in the fruit bowl."

"Excellent!" Lee said. "I can verify that the man who invited you to the house was definitely Victor, but thanks to you, we may learn a great deal more about his reasons for being in this country and the KGB's plans. It may be a day or two, but it's safe to say that the safe house will not be there for much longer. During that time, we'll have agents monitoring the situation and watching your house to make sure you're safe."

"Thank you, Lee."

"Don't worry, your part in this is all over. All you have to worry about is a group of boys who have probably eaten too much sugar tonight."

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The boys in question were still cleaning up their mess in the living room.

"Some Halloween party," Tommy grumbled, getting down on his hands and knees to pick up crumbs. "The movie was fun, but the cleanup . . ."

"I thought it was pretty exciting," Mark said. "I'd like to do this next year."

"I thought we were going to get arrested!" Andy said. "And you heard that cop. If we do this next year, we're in big trouble."

"It's something to brag about, though," Philip pointed out. "Our first Halloween party gets broken up by the police! Not many guys in middle school can say that."

"Yeah!" Mark said enthusiastically.

"You guys," Jamie said nervously. "Did any of the rest of you see what I saw in the window back there?"

"What did you see?" Philip asked.

"Well, I was looking across the room, and I saw everyone's reflections in the window . . ." Jamie trailed off.

"So what?" Philip asked. "It was a bright room. There are always reflections in the window when a room is bright and it's dark outside."

"Everyone had a reflection except for that creepy guy."

Everyone stopped and looked at Jamie.

"You mean the guy in the gorilla suit didn't have a reflection?" Andy asked incredulously.

"No, not him!" Jamie said. "I mean the other guy! The guy who was helping you up when you fell on the table. That's the creepy guy Philip and I met. The one he said might be a vampire."

The others fell silent while they thought about it.

"There's no such thing as vampires," Tommy finally said.

"You're just making it up to scare us!" Mark said.

"It was probably just a trick of the light," Andy said. "Besides, I've got the creepy guy all figured out."

"You do?" asked Philip.

"Yeah," Andy said. "He's a mad scientist."

"How do you figure that?" asked Mark.

"He called that other guy 'Igor,'" Andy said.

"Really?" Tommy asked. He was starting to wish he had gone along to see everything.

"That's right, he did!" Philip said. "You know, maybe we ought to—"

"No!" Mark and Andy shouted.

"Okay." Philip sighed.

"But, guys, I'm serious!" Jamie insisted. "The creepy guy didn't have a reflection!"

"Why don't you go upstairs and get that toilet paper off yourself?" Philip suggested.

"Fine! Don't believe me!" Jamie said.

"Actually," Tommy started to say. Jamie stopped. Tommy said, "I thought your costume idea was pretty cool."

"Yeah," Philip said with a grin. "It was a much better one than the swami."

"Thanks," Jamie said. "Tommy did a pretty good wrapping job. But, I think I'm ready to get rid of it."

He headed upstairs to get rid of his improvised mummy wrappings. On the way, he stopped by his mother's room to drop off her cross necklace. He felt badly about borrowing it, but with a possible vampire on the loose, he thought it was better to be prepared. Maybe Philip would let him have one of those popsicle-stick crosses before they went to bed. If not, there was always garlic.

**The End**

**Happy Halloween!**

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><p>Author's Note: Extra Credit Points! Besides Orlok, what is the other vampire reference in the story?<p> 


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